Catalog

The title displayed is the long title of the course. This title may be different than the short title, which is displayed in the class schedule and on OU transcripts.

All courses are identified by numbers composed of four digits. Courses numbered 1000-2999 are referred to as “lower-division,” those numbered 3000-4999 are “upper-division,” and those numbered 5000 and above are “graduate-level.”

The first digit indicates the class year in which the subject is ordinarily taken, although enrollment is not exclusive to student classification:

• Courses numbered 0000 to 0999 are developmental, remedial courses offering no college credit.
• Courses numbered 1000 to 1999 are primarily freshman level.
• Courses numbered 2000 to 2999 are primarily sophomore level.
• Courses numbered 3000 to 3999 are primarily junior level.
• Courses numbered 4000 to 4999 are primarily senior level.
• Courses numbered 5000 to 5999 are primarily for post-baccalaureate students, except by permission of the department and the graduate dean.
• Courses numbered 6000 to 6999 are restricted to post-baccalaureate students, except by permission of the department and the graduate dean.

The second and third digits identify the course within the field.

The fourth digit denotes the number of credit hours assigned to the course. A zero (0) as the fourth digit indicates the course is offered for a variable number of credit hours. No change may be made to the number of credit hours specified for the various courses as indicated in the catalog.

The only exception is University course 4000, which carries graduate credit when completed through the Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program.

The unit of credit at the University of Oklahoma is the semester hour. Each semester hour represents one class period of 50 minutes in length each week for 16 weeks (including final examinations) or the equivalent. Laboratory or field courses require two or three class periods per week for each hour of credit. During the summer session, the number of clock hours is adjusted depending on the length of the term.

• Crosslisting/Slashlisting Courses - Crosslisting and/or slashlisting of courses will be indicated at the first of the description. Crosslisting means that a course is offered through all of the departments indicated so that students may take a class through their major department. Courses are slashlisted so undergraduate students may take an undergraduate 4000-level course in a department while graduate students may take a graduate 5000-level course in the same department. The lectures in a slashlisted course are the same. However, students in the 5000-level course have substantial additional requirements beyond those for students in the 4000-level course. These additional requirements are listed in the slashlisted course syllabus. No student may earn credit for both the 4000- and the 5000-level course.
  
  
• Statement of Variable Credit - The credit that may be earned in a variable-credit course (course number ending in 0) is shown after the course title. A typical entry is 1 to 3 hours.
  
  
• Prerequisites - Prerequisites are the courses or requirements that must be completed prior to enrolling in a certain course. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure they have completed the proper prerequisites before enrolling in any class. An academic standing prerequisite is stated by classification. Freshmen have accumulated between 1 and 29 semester hours; sophomores between 30 and 59 hours; juniors between 60 and 89 hours; seniors more than 90 hours; and graduate students must have been admitted to the Graduate College. Courses listed as "corequisite" or "concurrent with” are to be taken in the same semester as the course desired. The statement "or permission of instructor" means the instructor may waive prerequisites when a student's background justifies it. However, "and permission of instructor" means the student must have the instructor's permission as well as the prerequisite courses.
  
  
• Description of Course Content - The content of the course and its major emphases are described.
  
  
• Laboratory - When a course has a laboratory, the word laboratory is included at the end of the course description.
  
  
• Semester(s) Offered - At the end of the course description, the semester or term in which the course is likely to be taught may be indicated. (F) indicates fall semester, (Sp) indicates spring semester, and (Su) indicates summer. (Alt. F) is used for alternate fall, (Alt. Sp) for alternate spring, and Alt Su means alternate summer. The notation (Irreg.) indicates the course is offered on an irregular basis, and the student should check with the school or department to determine when the course will be taught.
  
  
• General Education Designation - When a course has been approved for University-wide General Education, it is indicated at the end of the course in brackets with a Roman numeral, indicating the core area, followed by numbers or upper-case letters, indicating the core component.
  
  Core Areas and Components:
  
  I – Symbolic and Oral Communication: ENGL–English 1113; ENGL–English 1213; ENGL–Other English Composition; FL–Language; M–Mathematics; O–Other.
  II – Natural Science: NL–No Lab; LAB–With Lab.
  III – Social Science: PSC–Political Science 1113; SS–Social Sciences.
  IV – Humanities: US–U.S. History; AF–Artistic Forms; WC-Western Culture; WDC-World Culture
  V – First-Year Experience.
  VI - Upper-Division 

The class schedule should be consulted for the courses to be offered in a semester or summer session and also for information about which courses meet the University-wide General Education requirements.